Undoubtedly, being single makes you susceptible to people’s mockery. Your friends would keep on searching for a dating partner for you, your relatives would keep on asking about when you’re going to settle down, advise to lower your standards, or worse, they’d point out what seems to be wrong with you that you’re still single.
Don’t listen to them.
Just smile. Give them that sweet sarcastic smile whenever they’re being nosy about your status. You don’t have to explain. You don’t have to be defensive. You don’t have to act like a pushover whenever they’re making it the center topic. How about mocking them back with all the disadvantages they experience in being in a relationship? Just kidding. We don’t play that way, honey. Show them how blessed you are, instead.
Being single becomes a blessing if you just observe every good thing it gives you.
Look at how you are able to use your finances the way you want to. If you are committed to someone, you can’t help but spend for them. You buy presents. Sometimes you pay for their meals, lend them if they are in need, swipe your cards for them if theirs get declined, save for the fare if you are in a long distance relationship, and whatnot. Whereas in being single, you get to save for your future or treat yourself more. You learn to manage your finances by thinking about how to wisely allocate them without thinking about another person!
When it comes to your career, you have a sharper focus. You won’t worry about anyone who could be waiting for your time with them. You won’t be distracted. You can choose to have continuous education and gain more professional credentials simply because you have more time. You can achieve your dreams without compromise. Then once you achieve them, you can proudly say you did it independently.
Now speaking of independence, I think it’s the greatest blessing singleness can give. You learn how to handle life situations without any romantic support. You deal with them with your own valiant soul. You amaze people with how you walk life ordeals with your own feet, and fight them with your own fists. You don’t treat being alone as weakness, but as strength. A strength that no immature person can understand. They might always look down on you; pity you for living alone, traveling alone, dining alone, driving alone, having coffee alone. But the truth is, you pity them more because they cannot enjoy life without anyone. They are suckers. Living off others’ presence. And you? You’re nailing it. You’re living your life with sense of completeness.
Being in a relationship doesn’t make someone more blessed.
No, it’s not a higher level from being single. A person who’s single is as blessed as another who’s in a relationship. No one is ahead. It’s a matter of different phases, not paces. So don’t look down on yourself. Never deem it as being left behind. Never question your worth and beauty. Accept your status proudly. Wave that banner and show the world how happily independent you are. Dance in the music of life without the need to worry about stepping on someone’s foot.
By Karla Crisostomo for ThoughtCatalog